Westside Boogie Archives

Westside Boogie & GRIP thank Eminem for “Fuel” (Shady Edition)

WESTSIDE BOOGIE and GRIP are two names on Eminem‘s Shady Records that have shown their great lyrical abilities and they are on full display on “Fuel – Shady Edition” song from the Expanded Mourner’s Edition of Em’s “The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grace)” album. If you heard the original version of the song on the album, you would remember that Eminem and JID shared the song of the same name. Overall, it’s one of the biggest highlights, if not the biggest, from the project.

WESTSIDE BOOGIE and GRIP make the most of their time on this tweaked track, rapping with elite proficiency about being counted out but never out for the count. Of course, sticking to “Fuel” “tradition”, Em’s got more bars for Diddy. We are also messing with the slightly darker and more low-key production switch-up too. In the end, we need some more listens, but the “Shady Edition” is giving the original a run for its money.

After the release of the album, both artists thanked Eminem on social media. “WOW man I’m really on an @eminem album ..Thank u @shadyrecords ..S–t wild.” he said on Instagram. “Thanks @eminem Never woulda thought.” said GRIP on Instagram. Check their posts below:

Westside Boogie performs “Silent Ride” & “Not Like Us” with Kendrick Lamar

In his latest show called “The Pop Out,” Kendrick Lamar did something that culture will forever be grateful. Kendrick reunited Black Hippy at Kia Forum in Los Angeles and this moment was definitely for the core TDE fans. He reunited his rap supergroup that formed in 2008 and consisted of ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock. It was also great moment for Shady/Aftermath as Kendrick invited Westside Boogie to sing “Not Like Us” with him.

Kendrick Lamar also brought out the one and only Dr. Dre. As if the show hadn’t packed enough punch the Kia Forum almost lost its top as Dr. Dre appeared next to Kendrick and the recognizable cords of “Still D.R.E.” grabbed the attention of the audience. The rap legend knew exactly what the people wanted and then went into “California Love”. But before he could leave the stage Kendrick asked him a favor. Dre whisper “psssss….I see dead people,” an intro to “Not Like Us” and the room exploded.

Kendrick performed “Not Like Us” five times! You heard it right, FIVE TIMES and during one of the performances, he called our boy Westside Boogie to perform the song shoulder to shoulder. “Bro, I’m finna cry.” tweeted Boogie on which Eminem’s manager Paul Rosenberg replied “GO BOOGIE!”

The entire West Coast united on stage for the finale of Kendrick Lamar & Friends The Pop Out pic.twitter.com/9Y36quV8hm

— Modern Notoriety (@ModernNotoriety) June 20, 2024

Right before that, Westside Boogie performed “Silent Ride” from his 2019 Shady Records debut album Everythings For Sale.

WESTSIDE BOOGIE performing ‘Silent Ride’ at Kendrick Lamar’s pop up concert 🔥pic.twitter.com/orRiNJObGa

— Debating Hip-Hop (@DebatingHipHop_) June 19, 2024

Westside Boogie looking for a rap beef, comments on Drake & Kendrick Lamar feud

Westside Boogie has recently visited Hat Club to do some hat shopping. In the newest episode of Crowned hosted by Brownbag Podcast’s and Power 106’s Rosecrans Vic at Hat Club LA on Melrose Avenue, Boogie talks about his music career, his love for the fitted culture, when his latest music projects will be releasing soon and much more.

About Superheroes from Compton.
I’m going to take out Dr. Dre from there just because I feel like he represents LA as a whole. He’s like a cheat code so let’s just be more specific. My big hommie [G Weer] who is one of the reasons I got signed. That’s my number one hero. Number two, Kendrick. He’s from my neighborhood, shout out to the guy. Shout out to Serena, one of the greatest athletes of all time. DJ Quik, one of my inspirations growing up. I gravitated towards his beats and I feel like that’s a west coast sound. One more? Can I say myself? Myself! I’m a hero.

About Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef.
I’m going to be bias and I’m going to be a delusional LA native always. Kendrick was my favorite rapper before this and the fact that he’s from my neighborhood I’m always going to side with him. But I think it was super dope for hip-hop, not to discredit anything that Drake done for hip-hop, the city got a W. We won it, in my opinion. The fact that in this era where we all got this short attention span and they gave us music back to back to back to back and you got to see Kendrick strategy, stepping all over releases, I think it was dope!

About friendly back and forth beef with someone.
Oh yeah [I’m down for that]. I always wanted that. I love competing. I feel like, if you say you competing you got to have that moment in your career where you go at somebody and see if you could survive and it could define you so I think it’s dope. I’m waiting for the smoke. It’s hard for me to picture myself having problem with somebody just on some rap s–t. I got to really not like you. You really got to say something disrespectful about the person and even get the point across.

About his new music music.
Trying to get out of my head and drop third album. So, that’s the plan. With artists like myself, who spend a lot of time working on lyrics and making sure to put out the best product you get caught in that overthinking so this year is the year I’m trying to actually drop. As far as the message I wanna deliver with this project, it’s still n early stages. I got a lot of records done so it’s about filtering out my ideas and making sure I got tunnel vision of what I want to do with the project and what message I want to deliver.

Watch the entire interview below:

Westside Boogie teases 3rd album under Eminem’s Shady Records

What an incredible year is this?! Snoop Dogg is dropping “Missionary” album this year, featuring 50 Cent. Eminem is dropping his 12th solo studio album, featuring Dr. Dre and now Westside Boogie revealed that the third album under Shady Records is coming out soon!

Taking on Instagram, the Compton rapper posted a new picture with Eminem from last night at Dr. Dre’s Hollywood Walk Of Fame star ceremony. In the caption he wrote: “Album 3 loading…….” Some fans don’t believe that it’s coming in near future and rightfully so cause Westside Boogie has been promising new album for 2 years now. One of the users commented under the post: “Which mean it’s coming out in 2 more years , the real boogie fans know.”

The new album will be the third album by Boogie under Shady Records. Following “Everythings For Sale”(2019) and “More Black Superheroes.” (2022). The debut album featured Eminem on a track “Rainy Days.” The album debuted at No. 28 on US Billboard 200 charts, selling around 20,000 copies in its first week. It received high praise from critics.

Since the deluxe edition of “More Black Superheroes,” and 3 tracks EP “Live At The Novo,” Westside Boogie has been quiet, mainly. He did team up with E-Los recently for “Do U Luv Me” single…Check out Boogie’s post below:

Westside Boogie celebrates his first ever Gold certification

Shady Records’ Westside Boogie received his first ever Gold certification from The Recording Industry Association of America.

“Rainy Days,” featuring Eminem, from “Everythings For Sale” album has just went Gold in the United States, meaning, the song has now sold more than 500,000 units in the country.

To celebrate the achievement, Westside Boogie posted couple of pictures on Instagram, posing with the plaque. In the caption, he wrote: “Dog, I just went Gold for the first time… S–t got me emotional as hell… Thank y’all for making this happen, y’all support is the best s–t ever. It’s wild to me when I think about where ni–as came from. Thank you Justice Wears Cool Pants for making me keep this song. Thanks Paul Rosenberg and Eminem. Love y’all forever.”

You can check Boogie’s post below:

Album Review: Westside Boogie – “More Black Superheroes”

Westside Boogie – “More Black Super Heroes” – Album Review

Artist: Westside Boogie
Album: More Black Superheroes
Release date: June 17, 2022
Label: Shady Records
Genre: Hiphop/Rap
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐✪☆ 8.5/10

Westside Boogie is an American rapper, songwriter, and Shady artist. Born as Anthony Dixon in 1990 in Compton, California. His sound is a product of his Westcoast roots. However, he’s known to be influenced by artists such as Jay-Z, Nas, and Lupe Fiasco, just to name a few. Boogie started rhyming words at the age of only 15 years old. Later on, he would attempt to balance his academic studies while honing his craft as an MC. It wasn’t until 2014 before Boogie started seeing any kind of recognition. It was in 2017 when he finally joined the Shady Records family and released his label debut “Everything’s For Sale” in 2019.

I wasn’t familiar with Boogie until he made his Eminem Connection in the late 2010s. Admittedly, I was very skeptical of him at first. He seemed like a strikingly odd artist to join Shady. I pegged Boogie as more of a Trap style, vibe focused artist. However, I couldn’t help but get filled with cautious excitement as we got closer to “Everything’s For Sale.” It turns out Boogie fits in just fine. Needless to say, I’ve been a big fan of him since, and now I anticipate everything he touches!

KILLA MODE

Boogie opens the album with a very “I’m Done Giving Any Kind Of F*ck” tone, specifically when it comes to romantic relationships. It’s obvious he’s been burned before, and he’s letting us know he won’t be burned again. He’s showing us how he’s growing out of dating immature women as he gets older. “Showing you love, it ain’t playing it smart Covered in blood while I’m hanging with sharks”.

STUCK

This track is portraying the internal struggle Boogie’s having with rising into fame without being able to let go of habits he developed during his rough upbringing. There’s 2 sides to the token tough. He doesn’t want to forget who he is, even if he doesn’t have to live that life anymore. The haunting production adds layers to Boogie’s punchy, introspective lyrics. With this track, Boogie is also doing a great job exploring the nuances of struggling with communication in a relationship. When every line is telling the listener at least 2 things, it’s creating a much stronger narrative. It’s storytelling 101. Despite the fairly heavy subject matter, “STUCK” is still a banger due to the sharp piano loop and Boogie’s charismatic flow. The depth, vulnerabilities, and honesty create a lot of replay value for fans, while the production should provide multiple listens if you’re throwing this into a playlist.

NONCHALANT (Ft. Mamii)

“NONCHALANT” is easily one of the most sonically pleasing and addictive tracks on the album. The softer production helps to showcase Boogie’s impressive lyrical ability and smooth flow. With the beat being so laid-back, I can’t help but be reminded of his California roots. It also provides a perfect backdrop for him to effortlessly deliver emotional verses while painting a vivid picture. The song’s hook is provided by the gifted Mamii, who adds soulfulness to the track, balancing out Boogie’s somewhat raspy vocals. She’s the sweet to his salty. The two artists together add a unique dynamic to the song’s overall sound. This is the kind of track that I could imagine playing in the background of a summer night’s porch-lit dinner while on vacation.

LOLSMH II

With this track, Boogie is expressing his frustration with being a person who has a lot of people who depend on him. He’s doing everything he can to keep up his Superman image. The problem is that even superheroes sometimes need saving. I think it’s a metaphor for the idea that you shouldn’t bottle up your pain and try to pretend it’s not there. If you can never vent to anyone, you’re going to blow up eventually. Boogie is hitting us once again with that signature punctual flow with controlled aggression. As the track starts taking a darker turn, the beat switches, and so does Boogie’s Psyche. Calling back to that same “I’m Done Giving a F*ck” attitude, Boogie snaps and starts getting everything off his chest as he peels back painful truths. From here, we get some incredibly unvarnished glimpses into some of his darker thoughts and fears. I highly recommend this one for fans of good old-fashioned beat switches and authentic stories.

CAN’T EVEN LIE (Featuring Soulja Boy)

I can’t even lie, I’m really confused as to why Souja Boy; of all people, is featured in the middle of a relationship track on a Boogie album. The track is exploring the complex art of being a womanizer by default, but ironically wanting a serious relationship. It’s not possible, and while Boogie understands that, he’s not sure how to correct it. Honestly, this track feels a little bit like filler to me. Boogie only has 1 verse. The hook is pretty repetitive, and Souja Boy (yes, really) is giving a passable yet vague verse. We had enough relationship tracks on the album already, I’m not sure why this unfinished feeling, hallow cut, was left in the mix. Overall, it’s a decent track with nothing offensively wrong with it. It’s just the weakest of the mix so far.

PRIDEFUL II

This was the first track I heard from the album. It’s the big lead single that blew up, rightfully. Without hearing the album, this comes off as a really slick, smooth banger. It’s a really easy earworm that you can mix into just about any playlist. It’s probably the most accessible track on the album. Once you hear the track within the context of the album, though, it actually makes more sense. It shows him in a confident stance but in a much more self-respectful way. It continues to stick closely to the album’s theme.

AIGHT

This is a track that casual listeners probably heard first. It’s the one that gets the most radio play, but that doesn’t mean it’s a hip-pop; far from it. It gets played on the cool radio stations. That said, the beat is addictively catchy, complimented by a somewhat sinister backdrop. As far as the album goes so far, the lyrics are pretty straightforward here. Boogie is just acknowledging the fact that he’s a rising star and he’s here to stay. This shows a strong level of ambition, especially for a relatively laid-back track. Whether someone enjoys this track or not will depend on if they’re cool with a simplified single right in the middle of the tracklist.

CAN’T GET OVER YOU (Featuring Smino & Teego Touchdown)

I can’t get over the strings that Boogie keeps adding into these songs! Boogie opens up with some sort of whispery singing that’s been filtered through some sort of rebar effect. It totally works for the emotional point he appears to be going for. It’s another breakup song with delightfully somber production. The overall atmosphere is pretty melancholic yet somehow uplifting in a strange way. I’m sure most people can relate to the feeling of trying to get over an ex-partner. There’s a lot of emotions, but eventually, you’ll probably see the silver linings in the situation.

RATCHET BOOGIE (INTERLUDE)

Coming off the last track, this one perfectly portrays the feeling once you’ve been able to climb back up after a bad breakup. There’s definitely some “I Didn’t Need That B*tch Anyway” energy here. The lyrics are rapid-fire and confident for the short duration of the interlude. This is Boogie at his most self-respectful. You can almost hear the smile on his face once he lets everything go.

SOMETHIN STRANGE (Featuring Kalan.Fr.Fr & Mamii)

The cohesiveness from track to track on this album is impressive. Once again, this track spins off the previous one and maintains a similar but different enough sound. It opens up almost Gospelly. Boogie’s echoey singing is angelic and super sunny. Unfortunately, this is the first track where I think the feature makes it worse. KalanFr.Fr’s trappy, mumbling, verse really didn’t match this track sonically at all. There’s a time and a place for new-age trap flows, but it’s not here. It’s like somebody accidentally turned the angelic hip-hop choir station off and switched it to the generic new-school station. Thankfully, that only lasts about 30 seconds before switching back to Boogie.

WINDOWS DOWN (Featuring Snoop Dogg)

If I said this track started with the lyrics “Roll The Windows Down, So Much Smoke, Let It All Roll Out,” who would you think is featured? You guessed it, Boogie said the right words to summon our Lord And Ganja Savoir, Snoop Dogg. Starting with Boogie, I think you might actually be getting his best verse on this track. He puts everything he has into it by relying on a dynamic flow and confident lyrics. It comes together so defiantly and sets the stage perfectly for Snoop to jump in. Snoop gives one of his best verses in a long time, too! We’re getting that classic chill Snoop delivery, but he also switches his flow a few times pretty effortlessly. Put Snoop on a juicy beat and make Marijuana the subject, then you’ve got the recipe for a hit. If the track didn’t do enough already, there’s a crazy beat switch towards the end. Boogie comes back one more time for an anxiety driven, panicky verse that leads to either a figurative or metaphorical crash. This is easily one of the best tracks on the album.

ANTHONY (WAR)

As we get to the closing track, it’s important to look back at everything we’ve heard so far. The album began in a very dark, even mean-spirited mindset. As we get further along, Boogie goes through a lot of internal self-growth and finding himself. Just as he begins to accept himself and see things in a positive light, things are interrupted by a soul-crushing car crash. This “ANTHONY (WAR)” track is very cleverly mirroring everything we’ve heard so far. Admirably, it’s once again cohesively picking up where the previous track left off. It’s a realistic representation of a person slipping back into their old habits due to old mental scars. A great day can be interrupted by an unexpected car crash.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Since Boogie’s 2019 album “Everything’s For Sale,” he’s really shown a massive amount of growth in not just his rapping but a newfound creativity in crafting a cohesive project. Front to back, the entire “More Black Superheroes” album sticks to a very tight concept. Aside from a few weak features here and there, everything fits perfectly together in a precise order. Boogie has shown that honesty is a superpower that can be both a blessing and a curse. It’s a dangerous tool in the wrong hands. This album is a lesson about being true to yourself and true to others. Don’t try to be the hero if you can’t get past your own demons.

Written by CeaTee Reviews

Instagram @CeaTee_Reviews

Westside Boogie takes on GRIP for Red Bull’s “Rap IQ” game

How high is our Shady Records boy’s rap IQ? Westside Boogie and Brittany Sky take on GRIP and Dee Moe to put their hip-hop knowledge to the test for Red Bull’s Rap IQ game show.

Rules of the game are as following: The host names the artist and the first team have to buzz and give the name of someone who has collaborated with the artist named. The opposing team then have five seconds to name a new collaborator of the new artist that was said. Both teams will then bounce the artists back and forth until someone fails.

At one point, the host named Snoop Dogg on which GRIP quickly replied Dr. Dre. Then Westside Boogie named Eminem. GRIP hit back with Skylar Grey. Boogie had hard time naming Skylar Grey collaborator and made everyone laugh by joking “why did I bring Eminem into this.” GRIP and Dee Moe came out as the winners of that round.

You can watch the full Red Bull competition below:

New EP: Westside Boogie – “Live At The Novo”

Shady Records’ Westside Boogie drops new 3-track EP, titled Live At The Novo, to promote his Los Angeles show, scheduled for March 16, 2023.

Each of the tracks are inspired by Boogie’s three personalities: “Cold As Love” is inspired by Superblood Boog, “Tell Me” inspired by Anthony and “Mood” inspired by Ratchet Boog.

Live At The Novo is the follow-up to Westside Boogie’s recent “Headhunters” single with Dreamville from Creed III: The Soundtrack.

You can stream the new EP below:

New Song: Cozz & Westside Boogie -“Headhunters” ft. Kevin Ross

The sports drama movie Creed III, the 3ird in the Creed series and the overall 9th installment in the Rocky franchise, was accompanied by two soundtrack albums. Creed III: The Soundtrack, featuring original songs executive produced by Dreamville, and Creed III: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, featuring an original score composed by Joseph Shirley.

The original soundtrack includes contributions from Dreamville artists, J. Cole, Bas, Cozz, Omen, Lute, Ari Lennox, JID, and EarthGang. The song titled “Headhunters” features Shady Records artist Westside Boogie, produced by ClickNPress, Sensei Bueno & Soundwavve.

Boogie is not the only one from Shady Records who gets the writing credit on Creed III soundtracks album. On the song “Adonis Interlude (The Montage),” J. Cole interpolated lyrics and instrumental from Dr. Dre and Eminem’s “The Watcher.”

You can bump “Adonis Interlude (The Montage)” here and “Headhunters” below:

Westside Boogie talks fighting gambling problems for decades

For some, a casino visit is a chance to escape struggles or celebrate successes through a sea of games, bright lights and recklessness. But for Westside Boogie, a recent night of gambling saw him confronting nearly two decades of trauma — trauma that eight years of music and a couple of years of therapy haven’t quite fixed yet.

Boogie, 33, grew up in Compton, California, with his father largely absent from his life. His mom told him that she dumped him because of his debilitating gambling habits, and he later deserted his son’s life when he was 3 or 4 years old. And while Boogie has earned a career as one of the most insightful young rappers in the game, he can see the same flaws in himself as well.

“I’ve noticed I have similar gambling problems. The rush I get from it, or it’s been times I felt like that was a short way out,” he explained. “I found myself at the casino, betting money I shouldn’t have even been betting. I look up, and my father was just staring at me.”

He hadn’t seen his father in person since he was 7 years old, but here he was, exactly where his mother’s stories would have stated that he’d find him.

“I’m grateful for the lessons that the universe gives you,” he continued, adding that our phone conversation was the first time he’s shared this story. “You gotta be aware that it’s a lesson in that, and don’t ignore it.”

Through his intensely personal and vulnerable lyrics, Boogie is continuously working to process life’s lessons and make the most of them. The title of his latest album, “More Black Superheroes,” is a reference to what he feels is a litany of obstacles that Black men must hurdle on a regular basis.

“We go outside in the world and we survive situations, and we just look at it as a norm,” he said. “I think we need to start giving ourselves more credit, because we deserve it.”

For the full interview and photoshoot, visit HuffPost.

Shady Records two albums made into Complex’s 50 Best Albums of 2022

Westside Boogie‘s “More Black Superheroes” album has made into Complex’s 50 Best Albums of 2022 list at No. 16.

“Maturation is impossible in an echo chamber. Westside Boogie breaks a cycle of trauma and repeated mistakes on More Black Superheroes, an album dedicated to Black mental health. Beyond repeatedly advocating for more Black people to go to therapy (!!), Compton-born Boogie uses his second studio album to tell the story of how he reached this point, against all odds. In beautiful fashion, Boogie strings together stories about his upbringing and dealings with love to prove that anyone can heal, no matter where they’re from.” — Jordan Rose (Complex)

“More Black Superheroes” album is a second release under Eminem’s Shady Records, a follow-up of Boogie’s 2019 project, Everythings For Sale. The 12 tracks-project features Storm Ford on an intro track “Killa Mode,” Mamii on “Nonchalant,” Soulja Boy on “Can’t Even Lie,” Shelley FKA DRAM on “Aight,” Smino and Teezo Touchdown on “Can’t Get Over You,” Kalan.FrFr. and Mamii on “Something Strange,” and Snoop Dogg on “Windows Down.”

Later this year, Boogie also dropped the deluxe version of the album, adding six additional tracks, three out of which was completely new records and three was the audio version of his live performances.

“Super proud of this ..another win because of YALL ..I know y’all tired of me saying I love u but damn ..Now my next s–t betta be number 1 or I’m tripping. thank u Complex.” wrote Boogie on his Instagram.

Former Shady Records artist Conway The Machine also made into the list. His first and only Shady Records release God Don’t Make Mistakes occupied No. 41 spot.

“With critically acclaimed albums like La Maquina and From King to a GOD under his belt, Conway had already reached the upper echelon of rap lyricists before making God Don’t Make Mistakes, and he could have coasted if he wanted to. But he’s not the kind of guy to take it easy. Instead, he pushed himself to go even harder and made the most introspective, well-rounded album of his career. Throughout the project, he peels back the curtain on his personal life, sharing stories about getting shot (“Guilty”) and grappling with the deaths of family members (“Stressed”). He mixes this in with the usual hard-edged grit we’ve come to expect from Griselda (“Bruiser Brody”) and even throws in some streaming-friendly gems (“Scatter Brain”). His Shady Records debut has it all. — Eric Skelton (Complex)

The critically acclaimed project was commercial success for Conway. The album debuted at No. 175 on US Billboard 200 charts and reached No. 30 on UK’s Official Chart.

For the full list of 50 Best Albums of 2022, visit Complex here.